Kacie can find everything (and everyone) she needs on Mercer Street, the center of her familiar town. But when things change over her summer vacation, she’s determined to get to the bottom of it. Booki Vivat’s Meet Me on Mercer Street is a story about how suddenly a space can change and how a community can come together to embrace both the old and the new.
A budding artist, Kacie notices everything around her, even the things that people don’t say out loud. It feels like she knows everyone in her neighborhood and they know her, thanks to her parents’ dry cleaning business on the busy corridor of Mercer Street. It’s also where she met her best friend Nisha whose parents own Khanna’s Grocery and Deli, right down the block. They usually spend every summer together, but this year, Kacie’s parents sent her to spend the summer with her cousins. She can’t wait to catch up, but when she gets home, there’s no trace of Nisha. She’s not answering her messages and Khanna’s is gone!
Undeterred by the lack of information, Kacie makes it her mission to find out where Nisha went and what’s going on in the neighborhood. There’s a new store, $Mart, taking over for the grocery, where the employees don’t seem to want to actually talk to anyone. There’s a new kid and his mom living in Nisha’s old apartment. Who are these people? Kacie relies on the familiarity of her neighbors to find comfort, but the change is slowly creeping up on her own parents’ business and Kacie doesn’t know what to do.
This graphic novel touches on a lot of concepts, including economic status, gentrification, community displacement, and civic engagement. Vivat excellently frames Kacie’s story as a mystery to be solved in a setting with a number of endearing characters and a neighborhood full of personality. The book would work very well as a class read or a choice for a middle grade book club; there are a lot of discussion points throughout the story and many chances for readers to think about how they’d deal with the changes Kacie faces.
The format of the book is closer to a heavily illustrated novel than a traditional graphic novel, making it a reasonable choice for readers looking to try either type of format. Vivat’s illustrations are colorful and vibrant. The characters each have a distinct look and personality that’s brought to life alongside the text. Readers with a close eye will enjoy the Easter egg homages to famous mysteries in the background of some of the pages.
Meet Me on Mercer Street is highly recommended for middle grade readers, both existing graphic novel fans and those looking to get into them. Readers who enjoy Terri Libenson’s hybrid text/illustration books like Positively Izzy will gravitate towards the similar style of storytelling found in Vivat’s latest book.
Meet Me on Mercer Street
By Booki Vivat
Scholastic, 2024
ISBN: 9781338788686
Publisher Age Rating:Â 8-12
NFNT Age Recommendation: Middle Grade (7-11), Tween (10-13)
Creator Representation:Â Thai-American
